Queen Alexandra and Empress Maria Feodorovna are some of the best known consorts of the nineteenth century, with Alexandra in particular becoming a popular figure across Europe. The two sisters’ family members are far less known, though. Given that their mother was the wife of a king, the mother of two kings, the mother of a queen, and the mother of an empress, it seems a major oversight that she does not receive more information. Onto our September Consort of the Month: Louise of Hesse-Kassel!
Consort of the Month: Louise of Hesse-Kassel
Birth Date: 7 September 1817
Death Date: 29 September 1898
Tenure: 15 November 1863 – 29 September 1898
Birth Name: Luise Wilhelmine Friederike Caroline Auguste Julie
Spouse: King Christian IX of Denmark
House: Hesse-Kassel
Father: Prince William of Hesse-Kassel
Mother: Princess Charlotte of Denmark
Why Do We Know Louise of Hesse-Kassel?
Sadly outside of Denmark, she is not terribly well-known. King Christian IX of Denmark is known as the Grandfather of Europe, with how well-connected his children and their spouses were across Europe. However, Louise, his wife and the mother of those children, gets very little recognition. Part of that is due to how privately she lived- many nineteenth century royals lived very privately, aside from a rare public appearance. However, like many consorts, she was largely considered to be in the background.
Louise of Hesse-Kassel’s early life
Louise was born to Prince William of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Charlotte of Denmark in 1817. The niece of the future King Christian VIII of Denmark, Louise spent almost her entire life living in Denmark- her family spent her childhood in Brockdorff’s Palace (part of Amalienborg). A descendant of King Frederick III, she was in line for the Danish throne herself.
Princess Louise was considered a good student, and was talented at piano and painting. Given that she and her siblings were essentially guaranteeing the Danish line of Succession (as Christian VIII had no children), they received a standard royal education. 
Double Second Cousins to Husband and Wife
On 26 May 1842, Louise married her double second cousin, Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Not only had Christian fallen in love with Louise, she actually had a stronger claim to the throne than he did- their marriage greatly strengthened his claim to the Danish throne. (I will say, it is very interesting to note that both the Grandmother of Europe- Queen Victoria- and the Grandfather of Europe- King Christian IX- both married their cousins. The couple moved into the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen shortly after they married.
Louise and Christian had six children together: Frederik (1843), Alexandra (1844), George (1845), Dagmar (1847), Thyra (1853), and Valdemar (1858). The family lived a fairly modest life at the Yellow Palace but the couple were happy together. Louise strongly supported her husband as the future Danish monarch. Her siblings signed over their succession rights to her, and she signed hers over to Christian, making her husband the logical choice following Frederick VII.
Queen of Denmark
Louise became Queen of Denmark on 15 November 1863, when her husband became King. (Notably, their daughter, Alexandra, had married and become the Princess of Wales only eight months prior.) The couple lived fairly privately, with what many would consider a middle-class life-style in their newer home, Bernstorff Palace. They were considered to be a role model family, which did not leave much room for the public getting to know Louise personally.
The couple’s youngest daughter, Thyra, had an affair with a lieutenant and she found herself pregnant. Given Christian and Louise’ religious and moral leanings, it is not a surprise that Louise wanted to keep the scandal hidden- she sent Thyra to Greece to give birth privately there.
Expected for a queen, Louise supported several different causes- an orphanage for girls that taught them the skills to be domestic labour, the Deaconess Institute, and charter schools. The organisations that she supported tended to fall on the conservative side.
Louise died at Bernstorff Palace at 81 in 1898. She is interred in Christian IX’s Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral with her husband.
Louise of Hesse-Kassel: Interesting Facts
– Louise remained interested in painting and the arts throughout her life, even acting as patron of Elisabeth Jerichau Baumann
– She was considered as dedicated to royal match-making as Queen Victoria, hence marrying her children into several prominent royal families across Europe.
– Several current sovereigns are descended from her: Denmark, Norway, Great Britain, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg.
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Further Readings/Listenings on Louise of Hesse-Kassel
As far as I know, there are no English language monographs on Louise. If you know of any sources, please feel free to let me know!
Looking for my earlier Consort of the Month posts? Read about:
Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Queen Marie Antoinette
Catherine de Medici
Queen Adelaide
Catherine de Valois
Marie de Guise
Queen Alexandra of Denmark
Empress Josephine of France
Queen Elizabeth of York
Queen Elisabeth de Valois
Queen Catherine of Braganza
Queen Caroline of Brunswick
Queen Josephine of Leuchtenberg
Elizabeth Stuart
Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians
Saint Margaret of Scotland
Queen Maud of Wales
Empress Sisi of Austria
Queen Marie of Romania
Queen Astrid of Belgium
Queen Maria Eleanora of Brandenburg
Queen Ena of Spain
Queen Mary of Modena
Sophia Dorothea of Celle
Queen Anne of Austria
I hope you have enjoyed Consort of the Month: Louise of Hesse-Kassel!
Cheers,
The Historian
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